hieroglyphs (HY ur oh glifs) n. pictures and other written symbols that stand for ideas, things, or sounds papyrus (puh PY rus) n. an early form of paper made from a reed plant found in the marshy areas of the Nile delta; the plant used to make this paper astronomer (uh STRAHN uh mur) n. a scientist who studies the stars and other objects in the sky
Social ClassesThe Egyptian society resembled a pyramid and people were
assembled in the pyramid by the rank/class that they were in. For example,
the priests were in the second section from the top, and the peasants were
at the very bottom. Any person could rise to a higher class/rank through
services for the pharaoh as did Uni. Uni Uni was a man that showed the Ancient Egyptians that you could move
up between social classes. He was made groundskeeper of a pyramid,
overseeing most work having to do with its construction and upkeep.
Then later, he was made a general and after that a royal tutor. SlaveryYou could become a slave if you were captured in war, and became a
prisoner. The slaves made up a completely different class. However, the Egyptian
society was very flexible. The slaves had rights too. They could possibly own
personal items, inherit land from their owner(s), and could be set free. In the
Egyptian language a slave was called hem, and slaves were called hemu.
Lives of the Peasants Even though peasants could own land, most of them
worked on the land of wealthier people. But, during the flood season, the
peasants worked on roads, temples, and many other buildings. The moment
the water left the land, the peasants had to plant the fields with food. The hard
labor had to be done quickly while the soil was still nice and moist. One farmer
would plow the soil, while another farmer quickly followed behind scattering the
seeds. Harvesting the food was the busiest season for the peasants. All men,
women, and other older children worked in the field to gather the crops. This
hard labor was done from sunrise till sunset until all the work was done. Finally,
when the harvesting was done, the villagers feasted and offered their food and
drink to the gods, thanking them for their help.
Women of Ancient Egypt Egyptian women were looked upon as living models of the
wife of the god Osiris, Isis. The women had most of the rights that the men had.
They could own property, run businesses, enter into legal contracts, and, for the
most part, travel freely. Egyptian paintings mostly show the women supervising
farm work or hunting. They could perform many roles, from priestess to being a
dancer. The noble women held special positions in the Egyptian society.
Sometimes they were in charge of temples and/or religious rites. The women could also use their position to influence the pharaoh! Some of them acted as
regents until the pharaoh was old enough to manage/rule on his own.
The women of Ancient Egypt were hard workers, cooking the family's food,
cleaning up, and mending clothes. They were the caretakers of the family.
The rich housewives hired people to help them around the house. Women
without much money had to do everything themselves. Some women had
jobs as caretakers of other families, musicians, dancers, and/or entertainers.
Women in Ancient Egypt did not receive an education.
Key Terms
hieroglyphs (HY ur oh glifs) n. pictures and other written symbols that stand for ideas, things, or sounds
papyrus (puh PY rus) n. an early form of paper made from a reed plant found in the marshy areas of the Nile delta; the plant used to make this paper
astronomer (uh STRAHN uh mur) n. a scientist who studies the stars and other objects in the sky
Social Classes The Egyptian society resembled a pyramid and people were
assembled in the pyramid by the rank/class that they were in. For example,
the priests were in the second section from the top, and the peasants were
at the very bottom. Any person could rise to a higher class/rank through
services for the pharaoh as did Uni.
Uni Uni was a man that showed the Ancient Egyptians that you could move
up between social classes. He was made groundskeeper of a pyramid,
overseeing most work having to do with its construction and upkeep.
Then later, he was made a general and after that a royal tutor.
Slavery You could become a slave if you were captured in war, and became a
prisoner. The slaves made up a completely different class. However, the Egyptian
society was very flexible. The slaves had rights too. They could possibly own
personal items, inherit land from their owner(s), and could be set free. In the
Egyptian language a slave was called hem, and slaves were called hemu.
Lives of the Peasants Even though peasants could own land, most of them
worked on the land of wealthier people. But, during the flood season, the
peasants worked on roads, temples, and many other buildings. The moment
the water left the land, the peasants had to plant the fields with food. The hard
labor had to be done quickly while the soil was still nice and moist. One farmer
would plow the soil, while another farmer quickly followed behind scattering the
seeds. Harvesting the food was the busiest season for the peasants. All men,
women, and other older children worked in the field to gather the crops. This
hard labor was done from sunrise till sunset until all the work was done. Finally,
when the harvesting was done, the villagers feasted and offered their food and
drink to the gods, thanking them for their help.
Women of Ancient Egypt Egyptian women were looked upon as living models of the
wife of the god Osiris, Isis. The women had most of the rights that the men had.
They could own property, run businesses, enter into legal contracts, and, for the
most part, travel freely. Egyptian paintings mostly show the women supervising
farm work or hunting. They could perform many roles, from priestess to being a
dancer. The noble women held special positions in the Egyptian society.
Sometimes they were in charge of temples and/or religious rites. The women
could also use their position to influence the pharaoh! Some of them acted as
regents until the pharaoh was old enough to manage/rule on his own.
The women of Ancient Egypt were hard workers, cooking the family's food,
cleaning up, and mending clothes. They were the caretakers of the family.
The rich housewives hired people to help them around the house. Women
without much money had to do everything themselves. Some women had
jobs as caretakers of other families, musicians, dancers, and/or entertainers.
Women in Ancient Egypt did not receive an education.
Read an article about Egyptian lives now!!! Click here!!!!
Watch a video on the life of Ancient Egypt!! Click here!!!!
The Ancient Egypt Site. 15 Jan. 2009 <http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html>.
Dollinger, Andre. "Ancient Egypt: Slavery, its causes and practice." Ancient Egypt: an introduction to its history and culture. 08 Jan. 2009 <http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/slavery.htm>.
Gates, Bill. PowerPoint. Computer software. Vers. 2003.
Google. 13 Jan. 2009 <http://www.google.com>.
Harris, Geraldine, Delia Pemberton, and Vincent Douglas. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 2000.
"LIFE IN EGYPT." WELCOME TO EGYPTOLOGY ONLINE - distance learning and home study courses in Egyptology. 14 Jan. 2009 <http://www.egyptologyonline.com/life_in_egypt.htm>.
"Tombs of Ancient Egypt Video -- National Geographic." Video -- Animals, Travel, Kids -- National Geographic. 14 Jan. 2009 <http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/countries-places/egypt/tombs-of-ancient-egypt.html>.
World Studies: the Ancient World. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall (School Division), 2005.